RADFORD, Va. – Radford opens the home portion of its 2009 baseball season when the Highlanders welcome Canisius to town for a three-game series beginning on Saturday afternoon.

The Highlanders and Golden Griffins will play two starting at noon on Saturday (nine innings followed by seven), and a nine-inning game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Live Stats

Saturday Game 1 – RHP Shane Pysh (0-1, 10.38 ERA) vs. RHP Alex MacKenzie (0-1, 9.00)

Saturday Game 2 – RHP Aerik Taylor (0-2, 5.14) vs. LHP Shane Davis (1-0, 9.00)

Sunday – LHP Paul DeVito (1-0, 8.44) vs. LHP Mike Goemans (0-1, 6.43)

Radford (1-5), which was scheduled to play its home opener on Wednesday, played its first six away from home. Last time out, the Highlanders played a hastily-scheduled game at Tennessee on Tuesday, dropping an 11-4 decision to the Volunteers. Radford rallied in the fifth inning to take a 3-2 lead on senior first baseman Alex Gregory's RBI single through the right side, but Tennessee center fielder Kentrail Davis blasted a 3-run homer in the bottom of the inning to put the Vols ahead to stay.

Canisius (2-3), in the midst of 21 games away from home to start the season, entered the season as the country's most-improved team under fifth-year head coach Mike McRae. The Golden Griffins went 41-13 in 2008, following a 20-35 mark in 2007. By comparison, Radford was the 23rd most-improved team last season.

Following a series rainout at Charlotte last weekend, Canisius is playing its first game since a Feb. 27 win (9-6) over Oakland at Charlotte's Hayes Stadium.

The Griffins are led at the plate this season by shortstop Steve McQuail at .529/.526/.588 and his four RBI.

-          Radford was originally scheduled to play a pair of games this week, traveling to Virginia Tech on Tuesday and hosting West Virginia on Wednesday, before Sunday's snowfall in the New River Valley.

-          As a result, the Highlanders added the Tuesday game at Tennessee, and will travel to Blacksburg to host Bryant on Monday night.

-          After having a 14-game hitting streak snapped last Friday in the nightcap against Marshall, Alex Gregory came back to go 3-for-3 against the Volunteers, driving in a fifth inning run and scoring another.

-          Gregory now leads Radford at the plate this season, along with freshman second baseman Brett Mollenhauer, at .333 (8-for-24).

-          The freshman middle infield duo of Mollenhauer and shortstop Jeff Kemp have 16 of Radford's 56 hits this season. Kemp is at .308 (8-of-26) with a pair of RBI.

-          Getting the daily assignment at third base with senior Ben Toth on the shelf, classmate Nick Minter is 6-of-19 in six games (.316) with a team-high three walks and .409 on-base percentage.

-          Following his two-run homer in the fifth inning on Tuesday, junior catcher Robert Lamas leads the Highlanders with his four driven in this season.

-          Freshman right-handed reliever Jason Patten made his third appearance this season on Tuesday, and has yet to allow a run in 2 2/3 innings.

Saturday Game 1 – Sophomore RHP Shane Pysh (Wheeling, W.Va./John Marshall)

Following the second start of his career, the sophomore righty is still in search of his first win of the season.   In his start against Marshall last Friday night, Pysh matched his season-and career-best, working 4 1/3 innings, while striking out a career-high five against the Thundering Herd.

Saturday Game 2 – Junior RHP Aerik Taylor (Williamsport, Md./Hagerstown C.C.)

The junior right-hander heads to the post on Saturday for the first time in eight days, looking for his first win. Taylor tossed five innings his last time out, a loss at The Citadel.

Sunday – Freshman LHP Paul DeVito (Annapolis, Md./Archbishop Spalding)

DeVito is looking to rebound from a Tuesday start at Tennessee where he lasted just 1/3 of an inning. The freshman lefty still owns Radford's only win of the season, and is second on the team with his seven innings of work.